Why Juries?

22 May Why Juries?

In British Columbia, the parties to a civil case have a right to request that their case be decided by a jury of their peers. ICBC lawyers often prefer to have cases heard by a jury, believing that jurors will be biased against certain vulnerable groups: low-income earners, people with a history of mental or physical health issues, people involved in low velocity impact crashes and people who speak English as second language. ICBC’s hope is that the threat of a jury trial will force plaintiffs to settle their claims before trial for a fraction of what they have lost.

At KazLaw we believe that the right to a trial by jury is fundamentally important to our system of justice in British Columbia. We reject the cynical view that juries decide cases based on bias. Our significant experience in conducting jury trials has reinforced our belief that juries approach every case with an open mind and decide cases based on facts rather than bias. We understand that jurors make a significant sacrifice to fulfill an important civic duty. Our clients welcome the opportunity to have a jury appreciate how injuries have profoundly diminished that quality of their lives and award damages to compensate for their losses.